Automated floor panel workcell

A workcell for making parts in a vertical orientation from rigid sheet material capable of self-support on edge, comprising:

• a plurality of CNC machines for performing machining operations on said sheet material in a vertical orientation;
• a cell controller for receiving nest order packages from a Factory System, and downloading machine control data to said CNC machines for controlling the movements of tools in said CNC machines;
• at least one automated handling device for receiving and holding sheets of said sheet material in a vertical orientation;
• a transfer mechanism in said automated handling device for transferring sheets of said sheet material between said automated handling device and said CNC machines in a vertical orientation;
• a motive mechanism for driving said automated handling device between said CNC machines under control of said cell controller, and for stopping said automated handling device with its transfer mechanism in registry with said CNC machines.

A method of installing flanged inserts in a panel of nested parts in an automated workcell, comprising:

• creating machine control data files from a digital definition of said parts from original engineering parts definition files, and a nesting program which positions virtual parts in a virtual space equal in size to a standard sheet of material from which said parts will be made;
• downloading said machine control data into a cell controller which controls machines and equipment in said workcell;
• loading said panel into a CNC drilling machine and drilling a pattern of holes into said nested parts using said machine control data to control said drill;
• loading said panel in a known orientation into an automatic insert installation machine;
• applying adhesive to an underside area of a flange on said insert;
• inspecting said insert with a visual system to ascertain whether the correct amount of adhesive was applied correctly;
• rejecting said insert if an incorrect amount of adhesive was applied, or if said adhesive was applied in a wrong position;
• positioning an inserter on said inserting machine, using the same part definition information that controlled said drill, to orient an insert with a correctly applied amount of adhesive correctly applied to said underside of said flange with a selected one of said holes in said panel;
• and
• pushing said insert with a correctly applied amount of adhesive correctly applied to said underside of said flange into said one hole.